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Donald Trump, Jr., son of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, speaks during the second day session of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Tuesday, July 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"The politics bug bit me": Donald Trump Jr. is now discussing running for governor of New York

The president's son is an open supporter of pro-gun movements — and a covert supporter of racist movements

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April 7, 2017 12:48AM (UTC)

If Donald Trump Jr. has his way, his presidential father won't be the only Trump to make waves in American politics.

During a meeting at F6 Labs gun club in Hicksville, NY, Trump Jr. told attendees that he was considering running for governor of New York, according to a report by Page Six. The president's eldest son specifically stated that he would not be as interested in running for mayor of New York City, adding that he had zero interest in the United States Senate or House of Representatives.

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"Do I want to be behind the scenes and be a mouthpiece and fight back against crazy liberal media? Maybe.” Trump Jr. said. He later added, "Going back to doing deals is boring after 18 months. The politics bug bit me."

Although Trump Jr. did not identify a year in which he would run, the next gubernatorial election in New York is occurring in 2018, when incumbent Democrat Andrew Cuomo will be up for reelection.

Trump Jr. is best known for his pro-gun advocacy — he has posted photographs of himself after hunting such animals as an elephant and a leopard — but he also has connections to white nationalists and others in the alt-right. This includes speaking to a white supremacist radio host last March, sending out racist retweets, and appearing in a Mississippi town most famous for the murder of three civil rights workers to defend the Confederate flag, arguing that "I believe in tradition. I don’t see a lot of the nonsense that’s been created about that."

It will be interesting to see how news of Trump Jr.'s interest in New York politics will be received in comparison to the recent speculation (and repeateddenials) that Chelsea Clinton may be eyeing a run for office in the Empire State.

Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a breaking news writer for Salon. He holds an MA in History from Rutgers University-Newark and is ABD in his PhD program in History at Lehigh University. His work has appeared in Mic, Quartz and MSNBC.